Defense News reports that "on Nov. 10, military officials, civic leaders and community notables from around Montgomery, Alabama, gathered to watch Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast take command of Air University, the center of education for the world’s largest Air Force."

"Although it’s a scene oft-repeated throughout the service whenever one commander leaves and another takes over, this handover may represent more than just a change on the masthead. If Kwast succeeds, it could represent a turning point in how the service relates to Air University, or AU, a crucial part of the Air Force often regarded as a backwater by the Beltway crowd."

"Gen. Mark Welsh, Air Force chief of staff, charged Kwast with changing how AU connects back to the rest of the service, broadening military education while tapping into the reservoir of thinkers."